by Emily Lopez
We appreciate the significance of routine in our lives. As Catholics, we are called to daily routines that foster discipline, spiritual growth and deeper connection with God.
While routine can sometimes be thought of as monotonous or rigid, we believe that when it is faithfully intentional, it serves as a powerful tool toward leading a purposeful and virtuous life.
A routine of daily prayer and sacramental life is necessary to maintain our connection with God and a state of ongoing grace. We often recognize the value of these gifts when we haven’t experienced them for some time — things might seem disordered or off-balance in a way that we have difficulty describing but deeply feel.
Setting aside specific times for prayer enriches our daily routine. These moments of reflection and communion with God provide us a sense of stability and spiritual nourishment. Regular participation in the sacraments, especially confession and the Eucharist, strengthens our connections with God and the church.
Creating and maintaining a faith-building routine helps us draw closer to Christ and align our lives with his will.
Routines can offer us balance and comfort in an otherwise chaotic world. But sometimes, balance and comfort are not what God wants us to experience.
In the times when our routine gets interrupted, do we wallow in frustration or do we look for an extended opportunity of grace? What encounter might God be inviting us to experience through the interruption?
When the chatty neighbor catches us in morning prayer, do we see God’s invitation to conversation? When young children distract us from the fullest experience of the Mass, do we delight in God’s gift of life? When a noisy visitor disrupts us in eucharistic adoration, do we give thanks that another person is making time for a visit with God?
Our routines can serve as frameworks for our lives, but God offers a consistent invitation to engage in our present reality. The grace we receive through prayer and sacramental life is meant to flow out into the world around us, and we are called to share that grace in partnership with the Holy Spirit.
Are we aware of the gift of interruption in our lives?
Living in docility to the Spirit, we welcome the interruption as an occasion for meaningful connection with another person. We put aside our expectations and humbly receive the opportunity that God has literally put in our path.
When we value our faith routine as a deliberate and conscious effort to lead a life aligned with Christ, we must also recognize the value of each soul he has created. In seeking to encounter God, we are called to see the blessed interruptions that also deeply connect us to each other.
